Myles Jack kicked out of UCLA practice following fight

Posted by Kevin McGuire on August 11, 2014, 3:48 PM EDT

Fights are normal in fall camps on the NFL and college level. This weekend saw some fighting at Florida’s camp potentially injuring a key defensive player, so it is clear the risks involved when tempers flare. Things reportedly took a bit of an ugly turn at UCLA practice on Monday, with star linebacker Myles Jack reportedly being kicked out of practice for the day following some rough stuff with sophomore offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch.

Guys getting testy halfway through camp. LB Myles Jack got sent to the locker room after he and RT Caleb Benenoch went at each other. #ucla

By most initial accounts on Twitter, it appears this was nothing too out of the ordinary for practice fights, but it is always best to remove a player or players involved in this sort of activity when possible to provide for the safety of each player involved. It would be a shame if UCLA lost such a talented player like Jack due to some heated moments in a practice in mid-August. The same rings true for an offensive lineman who started nine games for the Bruins a season ago.

Either somebody started a trend this yea in football or reporters just decided to start covering guys getting kicked out of practice for fighting.

friarjack61 says:Aug 11, 2014 5:17 PM

At the start of camp, or at anytime in past seasons, did any coach warn that no fighting would be tolerated, and if occurs, the penalty will be suspension ? I doubt it !
Fighting can only be a result when NO structure is within a system. Fighting does not make you ‘tough’, hard hitting blocking/ tackling does.
This is an structured mind set. Fighting does not make you tough, because it’s reactionary, and undisciplined, and has no place in ANY team sport.

Myles Jack is an awesome footballer as well as great person. This is not the first time nor will it be the last any athlete may get a bit over heated at practice. These guys are the very best of friends, this one incident is being made to much of and way over rated!…Go Bruins!

thekatman says:Aug 11, 2014 6:15 PM

Fighting on the field of play, whether at practice or in a game, is due to a lack of personal discipline and no ramifications for penalties either doled out by the NCAA or the university. Being ejected from a game is one way to thwart an in-game fight. On the practice field, the head coach is responsible and should dole out a severe penalty so as to make the statement that if you screw up and break “team rules” you will be penalized. Taking a player out for the day is not tough enough.

Sure Miles Jack is probably a nice kid, but no matter if it’s Jack or Hundley or anyone on any team… with the competitive nature of football today, you’d better have a disciplined team.

soundsofsuccess7 says:Aug 11, 2014 6:28 PM

Why are coaches kicking guys out for fighting??

Sure, pull them out of the team session and pull them aside, but send them home?? What?? How does that help the team??

Fighting at practice is not a big deal unless you go Westbrook or Steve Smith on someone.

With that said, I used to be a big Myles Jack fan (he’s from my home state, Washington), even when he spurned the Huskies for UCLA. But he acted like a complete punk when he played the Huskies; showboating, pointing fingers, and basically acting like a moron. I’m not a “get off my lawn” type, but don’t be a punk when playing, especially when you are having success on the field. Hopefully he grows up and doesn’t let the success get to his head.

Sounds like it’s a whole lot of hateing going on against Myles Jack. If you had a fourth of the talent, heart and tenacity that Myles has maybe you just might have played someone’s sport and been good at it then again maybe not. One must always consider the source!..Go Bruins!

So Myles Jack lost his cool at practice. BFD, He got kicked out of practice and Im sure was lectured about the importance of keeping his cool, afterall he has to in a game or be ejected. He s only 18 yrs old, and I think for the most part has carried himself very well so far. So what if he licked his fingers, and showboated a lil bit during the UDUB game? Can you imagine all the shet they were talking to him during the game along with the pinching in the pile, they knocked his helmet off in one play, etc? Even players in the NFL get into it at practice from time to time, at least it shows intensity and competitive spirit of the players. (As long as injuries dont occur) Im sure that Myles n Caleb are on good terms in no time and its business as usual. Like I said, BFD…

larams2016: gutty lil bruins huh? Take a good look at the Bruin Revolution thats going on in Westwood since Coach Mora got there. Those gutty little bruins are the real deal that term is a thing of the past. We run Los Angeles now.

UCLA had some guys (especially Zumwalt) taking cheap shots against Oregon in the first half last year. Anthony Barr talked about it, praised Mariota for his toughness and asking the refs not to flag it. You get the impression Barr told his own teammates to cool it, because there was none of that in the second half.

If their players know that is happening and the coach isn’t stopping it, then I guess you won’t be too surprised to hear about indiscipline in practice, either. On its own, this story would not be any big deal, one of those things that happens when guys are knocking heads against each other, but one does begin to wonder about the culture of the program Mora is running there.

Mr 69, its football. Its a rough sport. Late hits are usually flagged (if the refs are doing their job) and it hurts your team when penalized. Every team has heated battles in practice, the only reason its getting extra attention is because its Myles Jack. I get the discipline point that you are making, it can mean the difference between a win and a loss. Obviously Mora threw him out of practice and prolly chewed his ass in the locker room later. If UCLA doesnt have the discipline or the right “culture” in their football program, its gonna show this upcoming season. I like rough, tough football and I hope thats what Mora is promoting at UCLA. Go Bruins!

Hey, Eddie, it wasn’t me who said they would have been flagged if not for Mariota asking the refs not to do it, it was UCLA’s Barr.

That was indiscipline. So was this. Each, on their own, is a minor incident. Together, they don’t prove anything, either. But if I were a UCLA fan, I might be a little concerned over whether we’re seeing a trend starting. That’s all. You’re absolutely right — if there’s a problem, it will keep showing up, and will end up hurting you.

And I’m looking forward to coming down there for some rough, tough football this year. Hopefully no one wants to see a lot of questionable hits, but football without good, hard-hitting play is not football. And it should be a really good game, one of the best we’ve had with you in a while. Our offense is stacked, but you should be better equipped to score on our defense than you have been in recent years. Your team is definitely on the rise. Hopefully we’ll both be unbeaten to that point. Probably the two best teams in the conference this year, and both could contend for a spot in the playoffs.

Goodstuff Mr69, one thing to remember is that Mora and new DC Ulbrich have old school NFL backgrounds. Im sure they are trying to bring a hard nosed football mentality to the UCLA program, especially since UCLA had a rep for being a soft team in the early 2000s. There is a fine line to walk there however and injuries, penalties, and even ejections can be the result. (No bueno) Yes Im am looking forward to a great game against Oregon, it could very well be the making of a new rivalry in the Pac-12. It sucks that the Ducks have so much damn team speed! (LoL) BTW, your a classy fan Mr 69. Ive had some ugly/bitter discussions on some of these threads…

Thanks, eddie. Yes, this year we have too much speed for you and should beat you. But we always drop one game in conference, and this year I sort of expect it will be against you, because you are good enough to grab it if we stumble even a little.

If I were predicting how the season will go, I’d say we’ll lose one game all year, at UCLA, and then thump you a good one in the conference championship.

Next year, I think you’ll have a better team than we do, though our RBs are still going to be scary good. Not sure they’ll have a line to run behind though.

As for Mora / discipline, what you suggest is what I would have thought. Zumwalt’s antics last year surprised me, and I was surprised no one reigned him in until half time. Maybe it’s nothing. Hope so. Certainly, the second half was clean, which was a good sign.

All the best to you — until we meet on the field. Then, I hope Marshall, Tyner, and Freeman run over you, through you, and away from you, leaving only shattered pieces for Mariota to shred further. Politely, of course!